Ann Arbor’s Police Chief Finalists: PPOs, Suspensions, Excessive Force and Civil Rights Violation Complaints

by P.D. Lesko

One of the candidates selected for the Ann Arbor police chief interviews scheduled for 8 a.m. on Dec. 1 is the former Chief of Police in Ferguson, MO. In 1996, this same candidate was suspended three times in one year and served with an order of protection after he allegedly hit a woman. Another candidate’s department was the subject of a Michigan ACLU letter to the U.S. Dept. of Justice which cited 780 cases of resident complaints of excessive police force showing a 25 percent rise in excessive force since 2020. A third candidate was sued in federal court for violating underage suspects’ rights to due process and equal protection, a suit his employer settled. This same candidate sued his employer twice; the suits were dismissed.

In a press release, city officials say they “engaged with members of the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission to help identify the ideal qualities Ann Arbor’s new police chief should possess.”

Ann Arbor officials also paid Baker Tilly, “an executive search firm” to lead the recruitment process. City records show that in May 2023, Baker Tilly was paid $16,770 and in June 2023, the company was paid $8,385 for a total of $21,155 to dredge up a rogue’s gallery of police chief finalists, with the exception of one candidate.

The City of Ann Arbor announced a Nov. 30 public reception for community members to meet four candidates who are competing to be Ann Arbor’s next chief of police. The reception will take place at city hall from 5-7 p.m. At 8 a.m. on Dec 1, all of the candidates will be interviewed by City Council members. Interviews will take place in Council chambers in city hall.

The police chief position is currently vacant, with duties being fulfilled on an interim basis first by long-time AAPD officer Aimee Metzer (who retired), then by Deputy Chief of Police Patrick Maguire. The AAPD Chief’s position has been vacant since July 2022 when Chief Michael Cox was forced out by then City Administrator Howard Lazarus. Lazarus was himself shown the door by City Council. He pocketed a several hundred thousand dollar golden parachute thanks to Mayor Chris Taylor and his Council allies.

Since July of 2022, the current members of City Council and the Mayor, along with City Administrator Milton Dahoney, have been unable to fill the position. During that time, the rudderless department has seen violent crime, including murder, weapons crimes, domestic violence, robberies and armed robberies increase sharply. The AAPD’s clearance (solve) rate has fallen.

The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County is hosting the public reception for community members to meet the police chief candidates Thursday, Nov. 30. The event will take place at the Ann Arbor Justice Center 5–7 p.m. The City of Ann Arbor will then hold police chief candidate public interviews during a Special Work Session Friday, Dec. 1, at 8 a.m. in Council chambers at Larcom City Hall. 

Information on the candidates follows:

Andre Anderson

According to information provided by the City of Ann Arbor, Andre Anderson most recently was the assistant police chief of Tempe, Arizona (2021–2023). He previously served as Rochester, New York, executive deputy chief (2020–2021) and commander in Glendale, Arizona. (2012–2020). Anderson has a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration and a master’s degree in educational leadership.

Anderson’s personnel file presented a somewhat different picture of his service in Glendale, AZ.:

“Andre during this first rating period it was noted by your supervisors at D.E.A. that you were experiencing significant problems while assigned to the task force,” Sergeant David Donald wrote in a review of Anderson dated December 31, 1996. “These problems led to the initiation of an internal investigation and your transfer back to the department. From the investigation you received a memo of correction and a two-day suspension for conducting personal business on city time and falsifying official documents.” 

Dave Lind is a former assistant chief of police in both Chandler and Tempe, Arizona. From a managerial standpoint, Lind said in an interview with a Tempe newspaper, an officer who had been suspended three times in such a short period “would raise eyebrows.”

In the City of Ann Arbor press release, Anderson was quoted as saying, “I believe the City of Ann Arbor is working collaboratively to implement plans to enhance an environment where community policing, the community and city government serve as problem-solving participatory partners. I am committed to building mutual trust and public safety while creating a shared vision and leadership approach that sets our agency apart and revered as the nation’s model police agency.” 

Eric Hawkins

Candidate Eric Hawkins has been the chief of police with the Albany, New York Police Department since September 2018. He began his law enforcement career in Southfield, Michigan, in 1991, and served as Southfield’s Chief of Police from 2012-2018. Hawkins has a bachelor’s degree in public administration, a master’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor degree from Cooley Law School.

In 2021, Hawkins was short-listed for the Chief job in Akron, OH. He withdrew from the running. When asked about police accountability in a lengthy interview with the Akron Beacon Journal, Hawkins said, “Fundamentally, I don’t have a problem with having outside entities examine and analyze police operations,” Hawkins said. “I think it’s healthy to have that review and that sort of perspective.”

In his 2021 interview, Eric Hawkins focused on “service delivery for our minority communities.” He added, “As an industry, as a whole, we have to admit that we have this problem connecting with minorities, especially in our urban areas. We have to understand and embrace this concept that changes and adjustments in how we operate and how we engage … it’s not a bad thing to do those.”

According to Hawkins, “Ann Arbor is a wonderful community with high expectations for its public servants. I am eager to see if my skill set and service orientation match what the city is looking for in its next police chief.”

Kyra Joy Hope

Kyra Joy Hope has been the second deputy chief of office and field support with the Detroit Police Department since February 2022. She began her law enforcement career with the department in 1987. Hope has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in business technology and management.  

In 2019, as a Captain in the DPD, Kyra Hope applied to be the Chief of Police in Columbus, OH.

In Nov. 2021, after an investigation by the department’s Internal Operations Standing Committee, the City of Detroit paid out a $35,000 personal injury and auto negligence settlement to Gwendolyn Gentry, a volunteer in the DPD’s Seventh Precinct. Gentry had filed suit in the Wayne County Trial Court against both the City of Detroit and Kyra Hope. Gentry, Gwendolyn v City of Detroit and Kyra Joy Hope case number 19-013363-NI.

Hope, in the City of Ann Arbor press release was quoted as saying, “Police accountability and transparency are paramount to gaining and maintaining the public’s trust. My responsibility, as the chief, is to set the tone of the department, focusing on internal and external misconduct, and issues involving integrity or the mistreatment of any citizen, where good officers refuse to allow bad actions by other officers to go uncensored. Our police officers should be accountable public servants who work collaboratively, transparently and fairly with all communities we serve by implementing strong policies and training, collaborating with our community stakeholders, and civilian oversight, to ensure that we provide quality service to our citizens. I will utilize community policing, constitutional policing models, and national best practices, to ensure our Ann Arbor residents are proud of their police department and one they can unequivocally trust.” 

In May of 2022, the Michigan ACLU and the Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability (CPTA) in Detroit sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting a federal investigation of a pattern of killings and excessive force by the Detroit Police Department (DPD) and an institutional culture within the DPD that promotes violence and racial discrimination within the DPD and against members of the community.  

Under Hope’s leadership as the Second Deputy Chief in the DPD, the 2022 ACLU/CPTA memo cited 780 cases of resident complaints of excessive police force showing a 25 percent rise in excessive force since 2020.

Carmelin Rivera

Carmelin Rivera is currently a lieutenant of internal affairs for the San Diego Police Department. He previously served as acting captain/lieutenant of investigations — sex crimes/child abuse (2021–2023); lieutenant, domestic violence/family justice center (2020–2021); acting captain/lieutenant, neighborhood policing division (2019–2020); and acting captain/lieutenant patrol (2018–2019). Rivera has a bachelor’s degree in general studies; a master’s degree in executive leadership; and is currently enrolled in a Leadership Studies doctoral program with specialization in organizational leadership. 

In 2017 Rivera, while a sergeant in the SDPD, was a defendant in a federal lawsuit alleging violation of due process and equal protection involving juveniles suspected of being gang members. The juveniles were not gang members, but Rivera and his fellow officers demanded the underage boys sign a release so that their DNA could be collected. In Feb. 2019, the City of San Diego settled the case. The complaint against Rivera and his fellow officers can be found here.

In 2005 and again in 2017 Rivera was a plaintiff in lawsuits against his employer, the City of San Diego. Rivera, along with 1,600 and 1,000 police officers, respectively, sued San Diego for underfunding the officers’ pension fund and then for wage theft related to overtime compensation. The first suit was dismissed. You can read the 2017 suit and its conclusion here.

Rivera, in the City of Ann Arbor press release was quoted as saying, “As a proud U-M graduate, I am excited to be back home in A2. My fundamental vision is to humbly partner with all community and government stakeholders and police leaders to collectively raise the standard of policing in America by positioning the AAPD to serve as the model progressive agency in the U.S. Entrenched in the 21st Century Policing framework, my team will be committed to alternative models of policing — modern, innovative strategies that reimagine and reframe public safety efforts in complex situations, and care for the fluidity and breadth of public safety concerns. We will deliberately expand police wellness programs to foster a culture and system that equips leaders to help care for employees, yielding an environment of high-performance, internal equity, justice and trust, culminating in better customer service to the community. My progressive breadth and depth of experience, along with my doctoral education in leadership studies, have prepared me to guard the delicate boundaries of the AAPD, the representatives of the Council-manager form of government, and the independent oversight groups.”

City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. says he “remains committed to providing a new police chief recommendation to City Council for consideration before the end of this year.”